In California, there are various different grounds that can lead to a business dispute. Often, prior agreements and contracts have terms that the businesses disagree upon. Disputes can also occur over property matters, billing issues or other disagreements.

What to Do in a Business Dispute?

The first step when involved in a business dispute in Desert Hot Springs, California should be to review any documents relevant to the matter, such as contracts. It may have already been decided in these documents how disputes will be handled. Not all contracts have dispute resolution clauses, of course, and sometimes neither business has any documents relevant to the dispute at all. If that is the case, a court may be needed to resolve the dispute. In trying to discover the best resolution for two parties who have not agreed beforehand on a resolution, California courts will use particular legal principles designed for the situation. Each state has different business laws about dispute resolution and contract law. An Attorney practicing in Desert Hot Springs can help you handle your dispute in accordance with the applicable California laws. With an attorney's knowledge of the law, the parties of a dispute may be able to avoid going to court entirely, since negotiations often proceed more smoothly with representation.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Contracts sometimes have clauses that mandate resolution outside of court. Methods for reaching out of court solutions are often called Alternative Dispute Resolution or ADR. Mediation and Arbitration are included in the concept of ADR. ADR is designed to reach the same conclusion as a court, but without the cost and inconvenience of actually appearing before a judge. Nevertheless, each type of ADR carries its own set of protocol, often involving a neutral third party that resolves the conflict according to the law. In Desert Hot Springs, Attorneys experienced in ADR can help if your business dispute is to be resolved out of court.